Prehabilitation in hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis. A necessary step forward evidence-based sample size calculation for future trials.

INTRODUCTION: Prehabilitation is defined as preoperative conditioning of patients in order to improve post-operative outcomes. Some studies showed an increase in functional recovery following colorectal surgery, but its effect in hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery is unclear. The aim of this study was to realize a systematic literature review and meta-analysis on the current available evidence on prehabilitation in HPB surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review and a metanalysis were carried out on prehabilitation (physical, nutritional and psychological interventions) in HPB surgery (2009-2019). Assessed outcomes were postoperative complications, length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission, and mortality. MAIN RESULTS: Four studies among the 191 screened were included in this systematic review (3 randomized controlled trials, 1 case-control propensity score study), involving 419 patients (prehabilitation group, n=139; control group, n=280). After pooling, no difference was observed on LOS ((-4.37 days [95% CI: -8.86; 0.13]) or postoperative complications (RR 0.83 [95%CI: 0.62; 1.10]), reported by all the included studies. Two trials reported on readmission rate, but given the high heterogeneity, a meta-analysis was not realized. No deaths were reported among the included studies. CONCLUSION: No effect of prehabilitation programs in HPB surgery was observed on LOS or postoperative complications rate. Future trials with standardized outcomes of measure, and adequately powered samples calculations are thus required. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42020165218.

Descriptive anatomy of the inferior epigastric, subscapular and internal thoracic vascular pedicles in three domestic mammals: A comparative study.

The descriptive anatomy of the inferior epigastric, subscapular and internal thoracic vascular pedicles of domestic animals is not fully known. Improvement of our knowledge in this field could lead to better development of animal models for both pedagogical purposes and surgical experimentation. The objective of this comparative study was to describe the descriptive anatomy of the inferior epigastric, subscapular and internal thoracic pedicles in three domestic mammals commonly used as animal models for experimentation. Our study focuses on the anatomical description of these vascular pedicles in the rat (Rattus norvegicus) (n=1), the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (n=1) and the pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) (n=1). A comparative and analytical study of these vessels (origin, path, caliber, termination) with those of humans was carried out. The superficial inferior epigastric vascular pedicles have been identified only in rats and pigs. The deep inferior epigastric, subscapular and internal thoracic pedicles were identified in the three mammals studied. No perforator vessels for the subcutaneous tissue and skin were identify from the deep inferior epigastric pedicles. The anatomical characteristics (origin, path, termination) of these vascular pedicles in rabbits seems to be the closest to that of humans. However the caliber of these vessels is around a millimeter compared to a 2.0-3.0mm in humans. This comparative study allowed us to identify and better characterize the morphological characteristics of these vascular pedicles in three domestic mammals, a step prior improving the development of animal models intended for pedagogical or experimental purposes in the field of microsurgical free flaps.

Microwave Thermoablation of Colorectal Liver Metastases Close to Large Hepatic Vessels Under Pringle Maneuver Minimizes the "Heat Sink Effect".

BACKGROUND: Liver resection and thermoablation are the mainstay of the surgical management of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). The main limitation of thermoablation is the "heat-sink" effect for nodules next to large vessels. Herein, we report the preliminary results of microwave ablation (MWA) with associated Pringle maneuver to overcome this flaw. METHODS: From November 2017, we performed intraoperative MWA with Pringle maneuver for nodules ≤3 cm with immediate proximity to large vessels (distance ≤ 5 mm, diameter ≥ 3 mm). We collected characteristics of nodules, surgical procedures and postoperative morbidity. Diameter of the ablation area, especially the ablative minimal margin, was calculated for each nodule. Recurrence was also evaluated. RESULTS: Nineteen patients underwent MWA with Pringle maneuver for 23 nodules. Nineteen (83%) ablated nodules were located in segments VI, VII and VIII, and one nodule was in segment I. Median size of nodules was 15 mm (10-21). No deaths occurred. Six patients (38%) experienced complications, among them only one was subsequent to the thermal ablation. Ablative minimal margin was ≥5 mm for 19 (83%) nodules. Margin was not sufficient for four nodules, among them only 2/23 cases (8.7%) of in situ recurrence occurred after 12 months of median follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary study, MWA with Pringle maneuver was associated with a low related morbidity rate and favorable oncological outcome, especially when the radiological minimal margin was sufficient.

Postoperative collections after liver surgery: Risk factors and impact on long-term outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative collection (PC) can occur after liver surgery, but little is known on their impact on short and long-term outcomes. The aim of this study was to analyse factors predicting the occurrence of PC, the need of drainage and their impact on oncologic outcomes. METHODS: This single-center, cohort-study included adult patients undergoing liver surgery between 2008 and 2017. The primary objective was to determine variables associated with PC occurrence defined by fluid collection on postoperative day-7 CT scan. Secondary objectives were factors predicting drainage requirement, and predictors of overall survival. RESULTS: During the study period 395 patients were included: 53.6% of them (n=210) developed a PC with 12% (n=49) requiring drainage. Variables associated to the occurrence of PC were body mass index>35kg/m2 (OR 8.09, 95%CI (1.50,43.60) P=0.015) and extension of liver surgery (major vs. minor, OR 1.96, 95% CI (1.05,3.64) P<0.034) while laparoscopic approach was associated to a protective role (OR 0.35, 95%CI (0.18,0.67) P=0.001) in the multivariate analysis. The presence of a PC requiring treatment was associated to long-term mortality (OR:1.85, 95% CI (1.15, 2.97) P<0.01) in patients with malignant disease. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing to major open liver surgery with BMI>35kg/m2 have an increased risk to develop a PC: this target population need a systematic imaging in the postoperative period, even if the indication for drainage should be guided by clinical symptoms. Last, the presence of PC requiring treatment has a negative impact on overall survival among patients treated for malignant disease.

Sequential treatment of rupture of pseudoaneurysm of hepatic artery with peritoneal patch and radiological embolization.

Bleeding after pancreatico-duodenectomy (PD) is a serious complication with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Interventional radiology techniques' using embolization and/or stenting is the optimal management. In case of hemodynamic instability, surgical treatment is mandatory, but its mortality rate is considerable. Herein, we report the management of massive bleeding in a 52-year-old-male patient, 3 weeks after PD. The patient suffered severe hemorrhage with two cardiac arrests and surgical treatment was performed immediately after resuscitation. A defect in the distal part of the hepatic artery was repaired using a peritoneal patch. A postoperative CT scan confirmed bleeding control and the presence of a pseudoaneurysm within the patch area. The second step of the treatment was to perform selective embolization. The course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged 6 weeks later.

Hepatic abscess: Diagnosis and management.

Microbial contamination of the liver parenchyma leading to hepatic abscess (HA) can occur via the bile ducts or vessels (arterial or portal) or directly, by contiguity. Infection is usually bacterial, sometimes parasitic, or very rarely fungal. In the Western world, bacterial (pyogenic) HA is most prevalent; the mortality is high approaching 15%, due mostly to patient debilitation and persistence of the underlying cause. In South-East Asia and Africa, amebic infection is the most frequent cause. The etiologies of HA are multiple including lithiasic biliary disease (cholecystitis, cholangitis), intra-abdominal collections (appendicitis, sigmoid diverticulitis, Crohn's disease), and bile duct ischemia secondary to pancreatoduodenectomy, liver transplantation, interventional techniques (radio-frequency ablation, intra-arterial chemo-embolization), and/or liver trauma. More rarely, HA occurs in the wake of septicemia either on healthy or preexisting liver diseases (biliary cysts, hydatid cyst, cystic or necrotic metastases). The incidence of HA secondary to Klebsiella pneumoniae is increasing and can give rise to other distant septic metastases. The diagnosis of HA depends mainly on imaging (sonography and/or CT scan), with confirmation by needle aspiration for bacteriology studies. The therapeutic strategy consists of bactericidal antibiotics, adapted to the germs, sometimes in combination with percutaneous or surgical drainage, and control of the primary source. The presence of bile in the aspirate or drainage fluid attests to communication with the biliary tree and calls for biliary MRI looking for obstruction. When faced with HA, the attending physician should seek advice from a multi-specialty team including an interventional radiologist, a hepatobiliary surgeon and an infectious disease specialist. This should help to determine the origin and mechanisms responsible for the abscess, and to then propose the best appropriate treatment. The presence of chronic enteric biliary contamination (i.e., sphincterotomy, bilio-enterostomy) should be determined before performing radio-frequency ablation and/or chemo-embolization; substantial stenosis of the celiac trunk should be detected before performing pancreatoduodenectomy to help avoid iatrogenic HA.

Liver resection in transplanted patients: a single-center Western experience.

BACKGROUND: Liver resection (LR) in liver transplant (OLT) recipients, an extremely rare situation, who performed on 8 recipients. METHODS: This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data concerned 8 (0.66%) 1198 LR cases among OLT performed from 1997 to 2011. We analyzed demographic data, surgical indications, and postoperative courses. RESULTS: The indications were resectable recurrent hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC, n = 3), persistent fistula from a posterior sectorial duct (n = 1), recurrent cholangitis due to anastomotic stricture on the posterior sectorial duct (n = l), hydatid cyst (n = l), left arterial hepatic thrombosis with secondary ischemic cholangitis (n = 1), and a large symptomatic biliary cyst (n = 1). The mean interval time to liver resection was 23.7 months (range, 5-47). LR included right hepatectomy (n = 1), right posterior hepatectomy (n = 1), left lobectomy (n = 4), pericystectomy (n = 1), or biliary fenestration (n = 1). Which there was no postoperative mortality, the global morbidity rate was 62% (5/8). The mean follow-up after LR was 92 months (range, 11-156). No patients required retransplantation. None of the 3 patients who underwent LR for HCC showed a recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: LR in OLT recipients is safe, but associated with a high morbidity rate. This procedure can avoid retransplantation in highly selected patients, presenting a possible option particularly for transplanted patients with a resectable, recurrent HCC.

Simultaneous surgical repair for combined biliary and arterial stenoses after liver transplantation.

After orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), hepatic artery stenoses (HAS) and biliary strictures (BS) are frequent. These complications remain a significant cause of graft loss and patient death. The present study reported a group of 7 patients in whom both HAS and BS were identified and treated surgically in the same surgical session. The median times to diagnosis were 42 (range, 5-120) and 84 (range, 15-280) days after OLT for biliary and arterial stenosis, respectively. The mortality was nil. Two patients (28%) developed postoperative complications. The median hospital stay was 16 days (range, 10-42). All patients are alive; there was no graft loss. With a median of 76 months' follow-up (range, 38-132), only 1 patient (14%) developed recurrence of both BS and HAS. In patients with coincident biliary and artery stenosis, concomitant surgical repair is feasible, offering good long-term results.

Long-term survival after portal vein arterialization for portal vein thrombosis in orthotopic liver transplantation.

Portal vein thrombosis is a relatively common finding during liver transplantation. The management of portal vein thrombosis during liver transplantation is technically demanding and ensures adequate portal flow to the liver graft. Eversion thromboendovenectomy and bypass using a patent splanchnic vein and cavoportal hemitransposition are the most often used procedures to treat portal vein thrombosis. There have been anecdotal reports of portal vein arterialization. We report a case of portal vein arterialization during orthotopic liver transplantation for decompensated cirrhosis. When thromboendovenectomy failed to restore sufficient portal flow and completion of arterial anastomosis between the recipient hepatic artery and the donor celiac trunk, a calibrated end-to-side anastomosis between the donor splenic artery and the donor portal vein was performed. With a 6-year follow-up, there are no symptoms related to portal hypertension, liver function is normal. However, an aneurismal dilatation of the portal branches has progressively developed. Calibrated portal vein arterialization is a possible option for portal vein thrombosis in liver transplantation, allowing long-term patient and graft survival.

[Neoplastic portal vein thrombosis and hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer. A rare association]. / Thrombose portale tumorale et métastase hépatique de cancer colorectal. Une association peu connue.

It is rare for portal vein thrombosis to complicate colorectal liver metastases. However malignant portal vein thrombosis must be anticipated when considering hepatic resection. While this finding may influence long-term survival, it does not absolutely contraindicate hepatic resection. We report here a case of colorectal metastasis to the liver with associated macroscopic malignant portal vein thrombosis treated with hepatic resection; the patient is free from recurrence at 5-year follow-up.

Splanchnic vein thrombosis in candidates for liver transplantation: usefulness of screening and anticoagulation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Splanchnic vein thrombosis is a significant source of complications in candidates for liver transplantation. The aims of this study were: (a) to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for splanchnic vein thrombosis in cirrhotic patients awaiting transplantation and (b) to assess the usefulness of anticoagulation. METHODS: A total of 251 cirrhotic patients listed for transplantation were analysed. All underwent systematic screening for thrombosis with Doppler ultrasonography. During the second period of the study, all patients with thrombosis received anticoagulation up to transplantation while during the first period none had received anticoagulation. RESULTS: The incidence of splanchnic vein thrombosis at evaluation was 8.4%. Seventeen additional patients (7.4%) developed de novo thrombosis after evaluation. Independent risk factors for thrombosis were low platelet count (77.4 (36.3) v 111.6 (69.2) 10(9)/l; p = 0.001), a past history of variceal bleeding (47.4% v 29.1%; p = 0.003), and a prolonged interval from listing to transplantation (8.5 (6.8) v 4.8 (4.4) months; p = 0.002). The proportion of partial or complete recanalisation was significantly higher in those who received (8/19) than in those who did not receive (0/10, p = 0.002) anticoagulation. Survival was significantly lower in those who had complete portal vein thrombosis at the time of surgery (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: These results support a systematic screening for splanchnic vein thrombosis in patients awaiting transplantation. They suggest that in these patients, anticoagulation is safe and has a significant impact on recanalisation as well as prevention of extension of thrombosis.

Auxiliary liver transplantation for acute liver failure.

BACKGROUND: In patients with acute liver failure (ALF) who fulfil criteria, liver transplantation is the only effective treatment which can substitute metabolic and excretory function of the liver. Auxiliary liver transplantation was developed because a significant minority of patients with ALF who fulfil transplant criteria can have a complete morphological and functional recovery of their liver. The favourable outcome reported in European series using auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation (APOLT), the greater experience as well as the lessons from split liver and from living related donors have revived interest in this approach. In selected patients aged <40 years without haemodynamic instability, the use of ABO-compatible, non-steatotic grafts harvested from young donors with normal liver function can restore liver function and prevent the occurrence of irreversible brain damage. In the majority of cases the auxiliary graft is a right graft which is placed orthotopically after a right hepatectomy in the recipient. After standard immunosuppression, the recovery of the native liver is assessed by biopsies, hepatobiliary scintigraphy and computed tomography. When, on the basis of histological, scintigraphical and morphological data, there is evidence of sufficient regeneration of the native liver, immunosuppression can be discontinued progressively. Complete regeneration of the native liver can be observed in >50% of patients, who can be withdrawn from immunosuppression. Therefore the advantages of auxiliary transplantation seem to balance favourably with the potential inconvenience of this technique in selected patients.

Feasibility and limits of caval-flow preservation during liver transplantation.

As promoters of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) with preservation of caval flow, we reviewed our 8-year experience to assess the feasibility and limits of this technique. Preservation of caval flow during OLT, which improves intraoperative hemodynamic stability, was not considered feasible in a significant proportion of transplant recipients. When transient clamping of caval flow is required, causes and consequences of this clamping during all phases of the procedure were not reported. Between 1991 and 1998, a total of 275 OLTs using a whole graft were performed in 259 patients with a policy consisting of a systematic attempt to preserve inferior vena cava (IVC) and caval flow. Preservation of IVC flow was possible in all cases, and no procedure was converted to the conventional technique. Caval flow was maintained throughout the procedure in 246 procedures (90%). Temporary IVC cross-clamping was required in 24 cases during hepatectomy because of difficult dissection and in 5 cases after graft reperfusion because of outflow obstruction; none required the use of a venovenous shunt. IVC cross-clamping during hepatectomy was required more frequently in cases of a large liver, with a mean duration of 11 +/- 4 minutes, but without significant influence on early postoperative risk, including one graft failure (4%) and one postoperative death (4%). Conversely, IVC cross-clamping after reperfusion, with a mean duration of 23 +/- 5 minutes, was associated with four graft failures (80%) and four deaths (80%). We conclude that IVC preservation is feasible in almost all candidates, allowing the use of split livers from cadaveric or living donors independently from their underlying disease. Although preservation of caval flow was possible in the large majority of cases, transient IVC cross-clamping during hepatectomy was well tolerated in contrast to caval clamping after graft reperfusion. Therefore, if necessary, we recommend transient IVC cross-clamping to perform a large cavocaval anastomosis.

Postoperative liver function after elective right hepatectomy in elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Because the influence of age on the risk of liver resection is controversial, the outcome of major liver resection in patients older than 65 years was evaluated. METHODS: Between 1990 and 1997, 24 patients aged 65 years or more underwent elective right hepatectomy (segments V-VIII) for a malignant liver tumour arising in a normal liver. They were evaluated retrospectively in terms of operative deaths, morbidity and postoperative liver function, and compared with 22 patients aged 40 years or less who had undergone a similar resection during the same interval. RESULTS: Elective right hepatectomy in patients aged 65 years or more resulted in a similar number of deaths (one versus none) and a similar severe complication rate (12 versus 5 per cent) to that observed in patients aged 40 years or less. Evaluation of liver function on days 2, 5 and 8 after operation, in patients aged 65 years or more and 40 years or less, showed that mean prothrombin time was 52 versus 56 per cent, 58 versus 62 per cent and 76 versus 72 per cent respectively (P not significant) and that the mean total serum bilirubin level was 35 versus 38 micromol/l, 32 versus 36 micromol/l and 25 versus 28 micromol/l (P not significant). Postoperative levels of aminotransferases, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and alkaline phosphatase were similar in the two groups. Mean(s.d.) duration of hospital stay was 15(7) days in patients aged 65 years or more and 13(4) days in the younger patients. CONCLUSION: Postoperative liver function after elective right hepatectomy in selected patients older than 65 years was similar to that in younger patients.